If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

What today is all about. Right now, I am wearing one of my favorite t-shirts. On it is an American flag made up of words. Those words are:

"We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government..."

If our forefathers were here today they would tell us that we are at a crossroads of the latter part of that passage. This government, on any level, is no longer deriving their powers from the consent of the governed but rather to further it's own ends. This is not the country spoken about in that great document that those brave men wrote and signed. It's quite the opposite. Sadly, today, most people have no clue what this great document is let alone what it stands for. Today, many people believe freedom to mean relying on the government for their every need and that freedom to them is to have that same government take from those who have earned it and give it to them because, after all, life is supposed to be fair. These people will soon find out the hard way, as Thomas Jefferson once said, "A government big enough to give you everything you want is also big enough to take everything you have." We are on that path. And WE THE PEOPLE(from another great document written 11 years after this one) need to take this country back and form it in the way our founders intended. God Bless America and God Bless each and every one of you. Have a safe and happy 4th of July and please remember what this day is all about.

It's not how old you are, it's how you got here.It's been a long road and not all of it was paved.A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes. Gandhi

Originally Posted by Carol

When I judge someone's integrity one key thing I look at is - How does s/he treat people s/he doesn't agree with or does not like?
I can respect someone who I do not agree with, but I have NO respect for someone who puts others down in a public forum. That is the hallmark of someone who has no integrity, and cannot be trusted.

National Guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed by elements of a para-military extremist faction. Military & law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed & more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw.

Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's organizers as "criminals,” issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to secure law & order. The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed widespread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons.

Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons & ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early this month between government & military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms.

One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that "none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law & turned over their weapons voluntarily." Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons & ammunition.

However, troops attempting to seize arms & ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans. During a tense standoff in Lexington’s town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender & return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists. Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange.

Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the radical extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel Smith, finding his forces over matched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.

Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law & order. The governor also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning & leading the attack against the government troops. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, & John Hancock, who have been identified as "ringleaders" of the extremist faction, remain at large.

And this, people, is how the American Revolution began on April 20, 1775.

It's not how old you are, it's how you got here.It's been a long road and not all of it was paved.A man is but a product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes. Gandhi

Originally Posted by Carol

When I judge someone's integrity one key thing I look at is - How does s/he treat people s/he doesn't agree with or does not like?
I can respect someone who I do not agree with, but I have NO respect for someone who puts others down in a public forum. That is the hallmark of someone who has no integrity, and cannot be trusted.

National Guard units seeking to confiscate a cache of recently banned assault weapons were ambushed by elements of a para-military extremist faction. Military & law enforcement sources estimate that 72 were killed & more than 200 injured before government forces were compelled to withdraw.

Speaking after the clash, Massachusetts Governor Thomas Gage declared that the extremist faction, which was made up of local citizens, has links to the radical right-wing tax protest movement. Gage blamed the extremists for recent incidents of vandalism directed against internal revenue offices. The governor, who described the group's organizers as "criminals,” issued an executive order authorizing the summary arrest of any individual who has interfered with the government's efforts to secure law & order. The military raid on the extremist arsenal followed widespread refusal by the local citizenry to turn over recently outlawed assault weapons.

Gage issued a ban on military-style assault weapons & ammunition earlier in the week. This decision followed a meeting in early this month between government & military leaders at which the governor authorized the forcible confiscation of illegal arms.

One government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, pointed out that "none of these people would have been killed had the extremists obeyed the law & turned over their weapons voluntarily." Government troops initially succeeded in confiscating a large supply of outlawed weapons & ammunition.

However, troops attempting to seize arms & ammunition in Lexington met with resistance from heavily armed extremists who had been tipped off regarding the government's plans. During a tense standoff in Lexington’s town park, National Guard Colonel Francis Smith, commander of the government operation, ordered the armed group to surrender & return to their homes. The impasse was broken by a single shot, which was reportedly fired by one of the right-wing extremists. Eight civilians were killed in the ensuing exchange.

Ironically, the local citizenry blamed government forces rather than the radical extremists for the civilian deaths. Before order could be restored, armed citizens from surrounding areas had descended upon the guard units. Colonel Smith, finding his forces over matched by the armed mob, ordered a retreat.

Governor Gage has called upon citizens to support the state/national joint task force in its effort to restore law & order. The governor also demanded the surrender of those responsible for planning & leading the attack against the government troops. Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, & John Hancock, who have been identified as "ringleaders" of the extremist faction, remain at large.

And this, people, is how the American Revolution began on April 20, 1775.